Water heater



Aug. 8, 1944. M J. oNElLL WATER HEATER Filed May 19, 1941 Patented Aug. 8, 1944 WATER HEATER Martin J. ONeill, Ottawa, Ill., assigner to Jack Baldwin ONeill, Sarasota, Fla., Richard Albert ONeill, Toledo, Ohio, Martin James ONell, Jr., Sarasota, Fla., and Robert Joseph ONeill, Ot-

tawa, Ill.

Application May 19, 1941, Serial No. 394,188

4 Claims.

My invention is concerned with Water heaters, and is designed to produce a simple and elficient device for heating the water therein by conduction, instead of directly, and thus prevent the deposit of sediment in the small pipes of the gas heater and water back. In most installations of such heaters, the tank containing the water to be heated is connected by small pipes with both the gas heater and the water back in the furnace, so that when the furnace is in operation, all the water heated and drawn off passes through the small piping between the water back and the tank, and similarly when the furnace is not in use, and the gas heater is in operation, all the water heated and drawn off passes through the small piping between the gas heater and the tank, with the result that in either case sediment from all the water heated and drawn off can be deposited in the small piping with the tendency to clog it, and require at least occasional cleaning. In my invention, the Water to be heated does not pass through any of the small piping, and any sediment that might be deposited therefrom can do no material damage.

To illustrate my invention, I annex hereto a sheet of drawing, in which- Fig. 1 is an elevation with the tank in vertical section and parts of the heating tube in the tank likewise in vertical section; and

Fig.2 is an enlargement of a portion of Fig. 1.

In the specific embodiment shown, 3 is the customary hot Water tank mounted on a stand and having the drainage cock 4, and provided with the inlet pipe 5 extending to near the bottom, and the outlet pipe E opening from the top. Within the tank is the comparatively large tube 'I having the pipe 8 leading from its bottom, and the pipe 9 leading from its top. Both these pipes are brazed or otherwise secured in place before the tank is galvanized, and the small hole I I will be drilled in the tube as shown in Fig. 2 after it is galvanized. If drilled before, the galvanizing might close the hole II, which is a vital feature of the apparatus.

The gas heater I2 is connected with the tube 9 at its top by the tubes I3 and T I4, and with the tube 8 by the tube I9, so that water therefrom can circulate through the tube T. It will be understood that some other form of fuel or heating might be employed. The water back I5 in the furnace I 6, shown conventionally, is connected to the pipe I3 by the piping I'I, and to the pipe 8 by the piping I8.

When the tank is lled, the water back and the gas heater and their connected piping is lled through water entering through the hole II. When either the gas heater or the furnace is in operation, the hot water therein can circulate through the tube 1, as indicated by the arrows, heating the water in the tank 3 by conduction. The hole I I is large enough to equalize the Ipressure in the tube 1 and tank v3, but is too small to permit any material discharge of the water from the tube 1, so that there can be no continuing deposit of lime, magnesia or sediment in either the water back, gas heater, or the tubing connected therewith.

While I have shown and described my invention as embodied in the form which I at present consider adapted to carry out its purposes, it will be understood that it is capable of modification, and I do not desire to be limited in the interpretation of the following claims except as may be necessitated by the state of the prior art.

What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. In a Water heater, the combination with a hot water tank having inlet and outlet pipes connected therewith, of heating means, and a Water heating loop extending from said heating means, with an enlarged straight portion extending vertically through the tank, the enlarged straight portion of the loop within the tank being of a length substantially equal to the inside length of the tank, and closed at its top and bottom, said enlarged straight portion being provided with an aperture adjacent the upper end of said water tank, said aperture serving when the tank is lled to admit water therefrom to completely fill the loop and equalize the pressure in the tank and the loop when heat is applied to the latter, but preventing any substantial movement of the water from the loop into the tank.

2. A water heater comprising a tank having external heating means and a closed liquid loop for conveying the heat from said heating means through said water tank, said portion of the loop within the tank consisting of a substantially large diameter tube closed at its ends and disposed near the Wall of said tank, and having smaller tube sections extending from near said ends of said straight tube through a wall of the tank and connected to the outer portion of the loop, there being an aperture in the tube in alignment with one of the tube sections and substantially at the hottest part of said water tank.

3. In a water heater, the combination with a hot water tank having inlet and outlet pipes connected therewith, of a gas water heater, a water back associated with a furnace, a relatively large diameter heating tube ,permanently secured and supported within said tank and having a small aperture therein, piping connecting said tube to the gas Water heater and other piping connecting the rst mentioned piping to the Water back and said first and second named piping forming two closed loops whereby said loops can be filled through said aperture, and the heating water circulated through either of said loops without escaping through the aperture to the tank.

4. In a water heater, in combination with a hot water tank, a straight auxiliary tube of relatively large diameter within said tank and extending substantially the full length of said tank adjacent the wall thereof, said auxiliary tube being closed at top and bottom and being provided with an aperture adjacent the top end thereof and in the hottest part of said Water tank, relatively small pipe means for permanently securing said tube to said tank and forming hollow inlet and outlet units respectively for the large diameter tube, Water heating means outside said tank, a water back connected with another heating unit, and piping connections between said inlet and outlet units and the water heating means and said water back to form two closed loops, said loops being initially lled and maintained full through said large diameter tube aper.. ture, and the heating water in said two loops circulating therethrough and through said large diameter tube Without escaping through the aperture and into said water tank.

MARTIN J. ONEILL. 

